The Troublesome Gets More Troublesome
by Sakura Kaijuu
Summary: Shikamaru thought he'd be able to relax for a day. That was before Naruto asked him for help with Sakura. Now he's tangled up in a mess that can't result in anything good...Update: Um...Well, chapter 6 is finally up. Sorry it took so long...;
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. This shouldn't come as a shock to anyone, since I never said that I did.  
  
A/N: Hmm...I guess I do have a problem with starting things and never finishing them. Oh well. Maybe I'll finish them all. Eventually...  
  
-- Sakura Kaijuu  
  
*~*  
  
Chapter One  
  
Shikamaru lay in a field, staring up at the clouds. No mom...no Ino...no Asuma-sensei...It was the best thing he could have wished for...  
  
"Oi! Shikamaru!" Shikamaru cringed. His perfect day was ruined...By, of all people, Naruto. He sighed and started to sit up. Looking to his left, he saw Naruto's orange jacket.  
  
"What is it, Naruto?" he asked, not sounding particularly interested.  
  
"I just wanted to know...do you want to come get some ramen with me?"  
  
Shikamaru looked surprised. Even though he knew that Naruto was a ramen freak, he never expected him to invite him to lunch. "What's the catch? Do I have to pay or something?"  
  
"No, no...I just thought that I don't spend enough time hanging out with you. You're pretty cool. I mean, you saved my ass that time at the chuunin exam!" Naruto scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously.  
  
"All right. I know that you have some other motive, but hey, free ramen is free ramen."  
  
*~*  
  
At the Ichiraku Ramen, Shikamaru ate silently next to Naruto. As Naruto finished his bowl, he looked over at Shikamaru nervously. "What?"  
  
"Well, actually, Shikamaru...I was kind of wondering...um...Well, I know you're really smart and all, and...um...uh..."  
  
Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "Spit it out already."  
  
Naruto blushed slightly, "Can you help me get Sakura-chan to like me?"  
  
Shikamaru almost choked on the noodles he had put into his mouth. "What?! Why would I want to do something as troublesome as that?!"  
  
"Please? I just bought you some ramen. COME ON!!"  
  
He wiped his mouth, "No. Go ask Ino. She should be happy to help. Getting Sakura away from Sasuke is like her life-long dream."  
  
"...Oh yeah..." Naruto looked thoughtful. "Maybe Ero-sennin could help me too..."  
  
Shikamaru snorted, "Naruto, how stupid are you? Anyone that you refer to as a perverted hermit would not be your top choice for tips on getting a girl."  
  
Naruto thought for a second about his past experiences with Jiraiya and agreed with Shikamaru. "Well, can you at least help me get Ino to help me?"  
  
"Why should I? This is the first day in weeks that I've been able to enjoy an Ino-free day."  
  
Naruto looked confused, "What's wrong with Ino?"  
  
"Nothing. She's just so...so troublesome. She always wants to do something, when all I want is a nice, quiet game of shogi."  
  
"PLEASE, Shikamaru! I'm desperate! You know that Ino won't talk to me. You have to get her to help me!"  
  
"Hey, I know better than that. If she gets hold of this scheme, she won't let me get out of it. It's always like that."  
  
Naruto smiled widely, "But what would be more troublesome? Helping Ino for a while, or having me follow you around for who knows how long?"  
  
Shikamaru's eyes widened. He hadn't thought of that...  
  
*~*  
  
A/N: Well, wasn't that interesting? I know that at first it might have sounded like it was going to be a Shika/Naru story, but really it's not. It's not that I have a homophobia, it's just that I can't see some of the characters (ex: Shika/Naru, Sasu/Naru, Kaka/Iru) being attracted to each other. Really...It just seems wrong to me. Their personalities are too different. Anyway, I think I'm going to have it Shika/Ino for sure, and I'm not sure if it'll end up Naru/Saku or Naru/Hina...So keep reading! :p 


	2. Chapter Two

A/N: Woah...Didn't expect that many reviews. :p So anyway, for Kinumi, and any other Naruto Forums frequenters, I am the same Sakura Kaijuu. I love using that sn, cuz no one ever thinks of it. Enjoy chapter two!  
  
-- Sakura Kaijuu  
  
P.S. -- Oh yeah. I forgot to say this earlier, but I've made the gang 16- 17 years old. Just for future reference!  
  
-- SK  
  
P.P.S. -- Oh yeah again...I've taken certain liberties with the storyline. Also, there will be spoilers about later manga chapters. If you're not reading the scanlations available on Naruto Fan, then you probably don't even know who Shikamaru is...Whatever. But anyway, I'm saying that in the chase after Sasuke, Chouji and Neji died. Naruto, Shikamaru, and Kiba are all still alive. Oh, and Akamaru. Can't forget him!!  
  
-- SK  
  
P.P.P.S. -- Woah, woah, woah...I think that I messed up a bit in my post post script. What I meant to say was that Chouji and Neji died. I don't have Sasuke as dead. What I meant was "...in the chase after Sasuke (pause), Chouji and Neji died." Sorry that I didn't clarify that...Now I feel bad...  
  
-- SK  
  
*~*  
  
Chapter Two  
  
As Shikamaru stood in the doorway of the Yamanaka Flower Shop, he sighed. 'Women are so troublesome...' he thought. Naruto poked him in the back, "Yeah, yeah...Hey Ino!"  
  
Ino, who was busy arranging some flowers, looked up, "Hmm? Oh! Hi Shikamaru!" Then she notice Naruto lurking behind him, "Hi Naruto..."  
  
Shikamaru cleared his throat. Ino looked back at him, "Sorry. What is it Shikamaru?"  
  
"I have a favor to ask. For Naruto." Shikamaru glanced at the blond boy next to him.  
  
Ino's brow furrowed, "Why would I help Naruto? Give me one good reason why."  
  
Shikamaru nudged Naruto. He jumped and blushed slightly. Without meeting Ino's glare, he mumbled, "Because I want you to help me get Sakura..."  
  
Immediately Ino's eyes brightened. "Really? Why, I'd be glad to help you then! If it gets Sakura away from Sasuke, it's fine by me!!"  
  
"Really?" Naruto brightened up. "You'll actually help me get Sakura-chan?"  
  
"Yes...But not because I like you. Only for Sasuke's sake," Ino continued with the flowers she was working with.  
  
"Well, I'll be going then," Shikamaru stuck his hands in his pockets and turned to leave.  
  
"Not so fast, mister!" Ino shouted. She vaulted the counter and ran in front of Shikamaru. "You are going to help with this plan!"  
  
He sighed. "Why, Ino?"  
  
She glared at him, "Because I said so."  
  
Shikamaru knew better than to argue with that look. It was always too much trouble to argue with people like his mother or Ino. He sighed again and glanced at Naruto, who was looking back and forth between them. "Fine. I'll help. What do you want me to do?"  
  
Ino grinned. "I want YOU to go and find out where Sakura is, and drag her over to the flower shop. I still have another 2 hours to work here, and I need Sakura to get her butt over here pronto."  
  
"What about me?" Naruto pointed at himself. "Where should I go?"  
  
"You should go home. I need you to be out of the way for as long as possible. At least for the next couple of days."  
  
"Um...But I'm on Sakura-chan's team. How does that work at all?"  
  
"It doesn't. But hey, trying is trying," Ino replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Just keep away from Sakura outside of team missions, okay?"  
  
"All right..." Naruto looked a little put out.  
  
"Shikamaru! What are you still doing here?! I sent you on a mission! Now go!" Ino barked, pushing Shikamaru and Naruto out the door.  
  
*~*  
  
Naruto was sulking beside Shikamaru. "Oi...Naruto. What's wrong with you?"  
  
Naruto looked over at Shikamaru mournfully, "I like hanging around Sakura..."  
  
Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "Naruto, you're on her team. You'll see her again tomorrow."  
  
"No I won't...Kakashi-sensei gave us the day off..." Naruto sighed. "So if I do what Ino says, I won't get to see Sakura-chan until Monday."  
  
"Sorry. Deal with it." Shikamaru stopped at an intersection. "I go this way. Seeya later, Naruto."  
  
"Yeah..." Naruto wandered off towards his own home, wondering why he wound up with the most unlucky jobs...  
  
*~*  
  
Shikamaru sighed, 'How do I always get into these situations? It's always so troublesome...'  
  
He came to Sakura's front door and knocked. As he was waiting he looked up at the clouds. When the doorknob turned, he lowered his head. "Good afternoon Mrs. Haruno. Is Sakura here?"  
  
Mrs. Haruno looked at this 16-year-old boy in her doorway asking for her daughter. "Yes. Let me call her."  
  
Shikamaru stood with his hands in his pockets and let his thoughts wander. "Shikamaru? What are you doing here?" Sakura brought him back to reality.  
  
"Oh. Ino sent me on a mission to get you. I don't know why. She couldn't come because she's still working."  
  
"Um...Okay..." Sakura looked surprised. "Wait a second while I get my shoes." She turned wondering what on Earth Ino wanted...  
  
*~*  
  
Naruto sat in his apartment pouting. He wouldn't have called it that, but that's what it was. "Why does Shikamaru get to see Sakura and I don't?"  
  
He punched his Kakashi doll and flopped down on his bed. He glanced at the calendar and realized that today was the day...Suddenly he sneezed.  
  
*~*  
  
"NARUTO?!" Sakura screeched. "What are you talking about?!"  
  
"I want to know," Ino said, leaning on the counter, "what you think of Naruto."  
  
"Why?" Sakura was confused. Shikamaru stood in the door, wondering why he was still there. All he wanted to do was go lay in his field. Away from Ino. Away from Sakura. Away from women.  
  
Sakura and Ino were still talking about what Sakura thought of Naruto. He sighed. He turned to leave, but ran smack into Hinata. "Oh! Sorry, Hinata! I wasn't looking."  
  
The dark haired girl didn't meet Shikamaru's eyes, and stammered, "O- Oh...It's okay, Shikamaru...um...wh-what are you doing? H-here I mean..."  
  
"Nothing really..." Shikamaru turned his head and scratched it. "Ino's making me stay..."  
  
Hinata looked around him to see Sakura and Ino arguing over something. "Oh...um...well...i-is she busy?"  
  
"Nah. If you're a customer, she has to serve you. It's her job. She'll get in trouble otherwise," he grinned.  
  
Hinata smiled weakly and went into the Yamanaka Flower Shop. Ino immediately pushed Sakura aside. "Hey Hinata! What can I do for you?"  
  
"Um...I wanted to get some flowers..." she mumbled, poking her fingers together.  
  
"Oooo...For who?"  
  
"Um...well...i-it's Naruto-kun's birthday soon...and um...I thought I could get him some flowers..."  
  
Ino and Shikamaru looked shocked. Someone who liked Naruto? Without being convinced? They looked at each other quickly, and when Ino looked back at Hinata, she grinned. "So what kind of flowers?"  
  
"I-I don't know. Could you please help me?"  
  
Shikamaru started to walk back into the shop. "Hinata...Do you really think Naruto would like flowers?"  
  
"Do you think it's a bad idea?" Hinata looked worried.  
  
Ino glared at him, "Shikamaru! That's so mean!"  
  
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry, Hinata. I'm sure that your idea will come off great." Under is breath he mumbled, "God...this is so troublesome."  
  
Then he noticed how Sakura was looking at Hinata. There was no way...no possible way...but it was true. Sakura was looking at Hinata with a twinge of jealousy in her eyes.  
  
Finally, Ino and Hinata decided what kind of flowers would be best, and what could compliment it, and when the best time to pick them up would be. Hinata looked back up at Ino, "Also, Ino, could I have some flowers for Neji-ni-san?"  
  
Ino jumped a little, "Of course. Pick any flower you like. You can have it for free."  
  
"B-but Ino...Won't your parents be mad?"  
  
"I dunno. These are flowers for mourning. Just pick something," Ino tried to smile, but Sakura, Shikamaru and Hinata knew she wasn't really happy.  
  
After Hinata picked, she said good bye and turned to leave the store. "Thank you, Ino-chan." She smiled a little.  
  
"Any time Hinata! Come by next week for Naruto's flowers, okay?" Ino waved as Hinata left. She turned back to Sakura, "Sakura, I need to go now! Come by tomorrow, okay?"  
  
"Um...All right..." Sakura shook her head and left. "Seeya later Shikamaru..."  
  
"Yeah," Shikamaru waited until Sakura was well away from the store before approaching the counter again. "Ino. What are you doing?"  
  
"Getting Sakura to like Naruto," she replied matter-of-factly.  
  
Shikamaru sighed, "I promised to visit Chouji today. I have to leave."  
  
Ino took off her apron, looked away and rubbed her eyes, "Can I go with you?"  
  
He couldn't say no. It was his fault. It wouldn't be fair to make Ino go alone...and there was something in him that said having Ino along wouldn't be so troublesome...His voice cracked as he replied, "Yeah. Er, yeah Ino. You can come."  
  
*~*  
  
A/N: Sooo...How was chapter two? I think it's a little more OOC than chapter one. Next chapter Ino and Shikamaru visit Chouji...In the graveyard...o0o0o0o0o0o...Kawy...Actually it might be at the memorial stone. Cuz they WOULD be heroes. (Neji and Chouji, I mean) 


	3. Chapter Three

A/N: Whee! Chapter three. Enjoy!  
  
-- Sakura Kaijuu  
  
*~*  
  
Chapter Three  
  
As they walked, Shikamaru had something he needed to say, "Ino, I need to get Naruto and Kiba too."  
  
"Right. Let's go then," Ino tried to smile. "Let's go get Kiba first. I think Naruto might still be mad at me."  
  
"Sure."  
  
They walked in silence until they reached Kiba's house. Shikamaru knocked on the door. When Kiba's sister answered, she took one look as the pair of them and said, "I'll get Kiba and Akamaru."  
  
Kiba wasn't wearing his coat today. After greeting each other the door shut and silence fell again.  
  
When Shikamaru knocked on Naruto's door, Naruto opened it silently and sighed. He barely looked at the four of them, and they kept going.  
  
*~*  
  
When they arrived at the memorial stone, Naruto remembered the first time he had been there, when he had stolen the lunches, and when Kakashi-sensei had told them that the stone was where the names of heroes who had died were engraved. And that his best friend's name was carved on the stone. He had thought that it was horrible, but he never imagined that he would see his own friends on there. At least not so soon.  
  
Ino kneeled and laid down the flowers she had grabbed. Her shoulders started shaking and Kiba and Naruto looked on with uncertainty. Shikamaru, however, turned her around and they all saw the tears running down her cheeks. He sighed and patted her on the shoulder. Suddenly she let out a shuddering breath and just fell to her knees in tears. She had never wanted Chouji dead. Never ever. Chouji was her friend. Sure he had died a hero, but what did that matter? He was dead!  
  
Shikamaru sat down in front of her and she looked up a little. "Ino...Calm down." She was surprised to see so much sorrow and empathy in those eyes. She let out a wail and threw herself onto Shikamaru, taking him completely by surprise and knocking him over. Kiba and Naruto stood there dumbstruck while a blush slowly creeped over Shikamaru's face.  
  
Silently from behind them came Hinata bearing the flowers Ino had given to her. Kiba and Naruto watched her as she too placed her flowers in front of the stone and bowed to it. She wasn't crying, but she didn't look too good...  
  
Naruto sighed in exasperation. When the other four looked at him, he looked away and frowned, "If we're going to visit these people, why do we always have to be sad? Why can't we remember stuff about them? I hate this!"  
  
Naruto flopped down on the ground violently and crossed his arms. Kiba and Hinata were looking at him, kind of startled by the break in the silence. Shikamaru and Ino, on the ground already, blinked at him.  
  
Ino breathed deeply and sat up. Shikamaru, while relieved that Ino was okay now, was a little jealous. Why had Naruto been able to calm her down? He blinked. 'Why should I care? At least she's off me now.'  
  
Ino looked up and sighed. "I'm sorry, Shikamaru. I mean, thank you. Oh...I mean...um..."  
  
"You're welcome, Ino," Shikamaru said.  
  
"I'm sure that Neji-ni-san and Chouji-kun appreciate this," Hinata smiled at the sky.  
  
"Yeah..." Kiba grinned. Akamaru barked in agreement.  
  
After about 15 minutes, Shikamaru stood up again. "Well, I have to be going. My mom will kill me if I'm late for dinner. Now that I think about it, I think I was supposed to train with my dad today. Oh well."  
  
Naruto looked at the sky. It was getting dark. "Yeah, I gotta go too. Iruka-sensei said that he'd treat me to ramen tonight!"  
  
"How come?" Kiba looked genuinely curious.  
  
"Because my birthday's next week! He said he'd treat me all week, unless something came up!"  
  
"That's sweet of him," Ino smiled. Maybe Naruto wasn't as much of a dork as she had thought. 'I mean...if Hinata thinks that he's so awesome, there's gotta be something more to him than meets the eye...Just like Chouji and Shikamaru...'  
  
Naruto grinned his goofy grin and hopped up. "Well I gotta go now! Seeya later guys!"  
  
"Yup. Definitely SOON," Ino replied, remembering the master plan.  
  
"Hee hee..." Naruto snickered, and then started humming a stupid little tune as he walked away from the field and back into town.  
  
*~*  
  
As Naruto approached the Ichiraku Ramen stand, he smiled and waved, "Hi Iruka-sensei!"  
  
Iruka grinned and waved back. When Naruto was finally at the stand, Iruka just kept smiling, "Well, Naruto, here begins your week long birthday treat from me. Turning 17 is always a big deal. So I have another surprise..."  
  
"Surprise? What?" Naruto looked as excited as a little kid.  
  
A very tall familiar form came out from behind Ichiraku's curtain. A guy with long, long, white, bristly hair. "Hey Naruto. Long time no see."  
  
"Ero-sennin? What are you doing here?" Naruto looked pleased. He wasn't as tall as he remembered.  
  
Jiraiya flinched a little. "Naruto...Please don't call me that. Haven't you grown up at all?"  
  
Naruto grinned, "I know, Jiraiya-sensei. How have you been?"  
  
"Excellent, actually. Have you been practicing the Rasengan?"  
  
"A little, but I'm a little stuck. I think I need your help."  
  
"All right. How about tomorrow afternoon?"  
  
"Cool! Now let's go eat!" Naruto pushed back the curtain and followed Jiraiya and Iruka inside.  
  
*~*  
  
Sakura sat up in her bed. She couldn't sleep. Looking at her clock, she saw that it was midnight. "Wow...Well..." she looked around. Her room was lit with moonlight. "I'm gonna go for a walk."  
  
Sakura got dressed and went to the door and slipped on her shoes. As she stepped out into the cool, calm night she sighed. "Where am I gonna go?" she asked herself out loud. She saw some flowers on the side of her house. She knew her mother would kill her, but she needed those flowers.  
  
*~*  
  
Sakura smelled the flowers she was carrying and pushed her way through the trees to the training grounds. She gasped slightly. There was someone else there with his hands in his pockets, staring at the stone.  
  
"Sasuke-kun?!" Sakura's arms dropped in shock. "What are you doing here?"  
  
Sasuke turned and saw her. "Hi Sakura."  
  
Sakura approached the memorial slowly and placed the flowers on the ground. She stood and bowed. "Well, Sasuke? Why are you here?"  
  
Sasuke flinched. He rubbed the spot on his neck where the curse seal used to be. "I come here every night."  
  
"Oh..." Sakura remembered that chase...She remembered finding out that Chouji and Neji were dead. She had been there for Ino. It was the first time in a long time that they were really there for each other. She knew how much Sasuke must be hurting. Sasuke reached up to his forehead and pulled the leaf band off. After staring at it for a moment, he threw it. It hit the stone and clattered to the ground. The sound of the metal hitting stone hung in the air for a moment.  
  
Sakura was taken aback by this. She picked up the hitai-ate. She ran her fingers over the surface of the metal plate. It was scratched and dented all over. "Sasuke-kun..." she looked at him slowly, "Have you been coming here every night for the past four years?"  
  
They both knew the question that she'd asked was really, "Have you been throwing this at the stone for the past four years?"  
  
"Yes." Sasuke was struggling. He never liked admitting weakness. But Sakura deserved to know. So did Naruto. And Kakashi. He had been acting so strangely since he returned to Konoha. He held his head in his hands, "Shit!"  
  
"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura wasn't sure if she should comfort him or not.  
  
He stood up straight and looked at her, "I'm going home. You should too." He put his hands back in his pockets and left the clearing.  
  
A few minutes later, Sakura realized that she was still holding his headband. "Damn! Oh well...I'll give it to him tomorrow. She thought about where he had rubbed his neck. She remembered that day. Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-san had worked together to remove the curse seal while Sakura and Naruto watched. At the time she hadn't understood why they wanted both of them there. But now that she was under both Tsunade's and Kakashi's tutelage, she understood. Tsunade was passing down her skills to Sakura, as was Jiraiya to Naruto. She was scared to think now that Sasuke really was like Orochimaru.  
  
She sighed. She was thinking too much about the past. She had to get back home. She was getting sleepy, and she could never be sure if Kakashi would be late or not.  
  
*~*  
  
A/N: Whee hee! I'm liking this fic. It's fun to write. Next chapter: a new mission, a new something, and probably some fluff ;p  
  
-- Sakura Kaijuu 


	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. It sucks that I have to remind myself of this every time I write...  
  
A/N: It's a bird! It's a plane! Oh wait...it's only me. Nevermind with the superhero thing. I really hope you guys are liking the story. I'm also sorry that the only sure couple right now is ShikaIno. I really don't know what I'm doing with Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura. I really don't. So...sorry 'bout that, but let's get on with the story!  
  
-- Sakura Kaijuu  
  
P.S. -- Hey, thanks all you awesome reviewers. It really cheers me up to read that people like my stories. So I'll keep writing this one.  
  
-- SK  
  
*~*  
  
Sakura yawned heavily and looked around. Kakashi-sensei still wasn't there. "Ugh...Why do we always have to wait forever?"  
  
Naruto wasn't doing much better. His arms were crossed and he was looking very annoyed. Every once in a while he would change is stance and where he was standing.  
  
But today they weren't just waiting for Kakashi. Sasuke was late too. Sakura reached in her ninja pouch and took out the head protector. She looked at it sadly and sighed. Naruto glanced over, "Oi. Sakura, what's that?"  
  
Sakura's expression went from sad to annoyed, "What does it look like, you idiot? It's a leaf headband."  
  
"But...you're wearing yours. Whose is it?" Naruto cocked his head to the side.  
  
"It's mine," a deep voice came from behind them. Sasuke had finally appeared with Kakashi close behind him. "Thank you, Sakura, for getting it for me."  
  
Sakura blushed a little, "Oh! You're welcome, Sasuke-kun."  
  
He took it out of her hands and put it back on. Naruto looked at him jealously. Why did Sakura blush when Sasuke thanked her, but not when he did? That wasn't fair.  
  
"Sorry we're late. I had a real excuse today though," Kakashi looked at his other two students. "Sasuke and I were talking, and it took a lot longer than we thought." He smiled as Naruto and Sakura looked annoyed again.  
  
Sasuke looked over at Sakura, and from Sakura to Naruto. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath, "In the past four years, I don't think I've ever said anything to you guys about what I did."  
  
Naruto's jaw dropped. Despite the fact that he had royally kicked Sasuke's ass, after he had come out of the barrel, it had been a subject that was delicately avoided when the four of them were together. But Naruto had wondered all along why Sasuke had left the Leaf.  
  
"Sasuke." Kakashi stopped him. "Even though I'm proud that you are sharing this, there are other people who need to hear this. Not just your teammates." Sasuke closed his eyes painfully. Kakashi looked at each of his 16-year-old students. They were chuunins now. They were 12 a long time ago, but these wounds were still open and sore. "I'm canceling the mission for today."  
  
They looked at him curiously. "However, you are all to meet by the memorial at three o'clock this afternoon." Kakashi disappeared in a whirl of smoke.  
  
Naruto looked around and back and forth between Sasuke and Sakura. "Well, I'm going down to Ichiraku. I dunno about you guys, but I could go for some ramen."  
  
"All right. Seeya at three," Sakura smiled. "I'm gonna go home to work on stuff."  
  
Sasuke nodded to them, "Well, I'm going too. Seeya." The three of them parted ways and didn't look back.  
  
*~*  
  
"Hokage-sama," Kakashi stood in front of Tsunade's desk, hoping to receive permission. "May I please interrupt the missions of teams eight and ten?"  
  
"Why, Kakashi?" she still remembered when Yondaime was training this boy. He still wore the mask then too...  
  
"Sasuke wants to explain himself. Shikamaru, Kiba, Hinata, and Ino all need to hear this too."  
  
"WHAT?!" Tsunade looked at him in shock. When Sasuke had returned to the village, he was locked in his apartment for three months under ANBU guard. After making no escape attempts, he was released to go into surgery so that Tsunade and Jiraiya could remove the curse seal. Since then he hadn't said a word about the entire ordeal. She covered her eyes. "Yes. That'll be fine. You may go now."  
  
"Thank you, Tsunade-sama," Kakashi walked out of the office to go find Kurenai and Asuma. It was already 1:30, and this was one thing he didn't want to be late for.  
  
*~*  
  
Shikamaru was commanding Ino through the day's work. It was Asuma-sensei's idea. He thought Shikamaru needed more work with leadership. 'This is so...troublesome...' he thought.  
  
Ino looked over at him, "You know why Asuma-sensei is having us do this?" They were walking through the forest, looking for some cat. "He's still on vacation. That's why he's not training us today."  
  
He glanced at her. "Did you think, Ino, that maybe Asuma-sensei actually wants us to practice taking orders from each other?"  
  
"Hmph..." Ino looked away, and saw a white fluff ball. "Hey!" she whispered. "Here, kitty kitty..." It meowed and crept closer to her. She made cooing noises, attracting the cat towards her. When it was close enough, she grabbed it. She stood up and smirked at Shikamaru. "Ha. So there smarty-pants. That good enough for you?"  
  
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Ino, it doesn't matter. We're both 16 years old and completely capable of doing this kind of stupid mission on our own."  
  
Ino and Shikamaru looked up and became tense. Someone was coming through the forest. Shikamaru was about to grab a kunai when he saw that it was only their sensei. "Jesus, Asuma-sensei. What's wrong with you?"  
  
"Sorry," Asuma looked at his two remaining students. "I see that you've completed today's mission. That's good."  
  
"Why?" Ino asked curiously.  
  
"Because you need to be up at the memorial at three o'clock," their teacher lit a cigarette and looked at them.  
  
Ino looked at her watch. "Asuma-sensei, it's already two o'clock!"  
  
"Yeah, I know. I'll take the stupid cat back to Hokage-sama's office. You guys have gotta move it," he reached for the cat, who was grateful to be out of Ino's squeezing arms.  
  
Shikamaru sighed again, "All right. Come on, Ino."  
  
The two of them left for the memorial stone, wondering why it was so important to be there at three.  
  
*~*  
  
Kakashi appeared right behind Hinata, and she jumped. Kurenai looked at him curiously, "Kakashi? What is it?"  
  
Though Hinata, Kiba, and Shino couldn't hear, Kakashi told Kurenai, "Sasuke has something he needs to say to Hinata and Kiba."  
  
Kurenai's eyes widened, and Akamaru whined a little. She looked over at her three students, and thought for a moment. "Hinata, Kiba, Shino, training is ended for today. Hinata and Kiba, you are to go with Kakashi up to the memorial stone. You are dismissed.  
  
"Come with me, you three," Kakashi glanced at Akamaru, who barked appreciatively.  
  
*~*  
  
A/N: I decided that this is a great place for me to end the chapter. I mean, seeing as it's almost three o'clock and everyone's meeting. What will happen next? Will Sasuke apologize? What will Ino do? Did she completely forget about the scheme to get Sakura and Naruto together, or is the author just being an airhead? Find out next time in: The Troublesome Gets More Troublesome!  
  
Hee hee...that sounds like a thing that the narrator of Rocky and Bullwinkle would say. That's awesome. Well, check ya later people. Keep reviewing!  
  
-- Sakura Kaijuu 


	5. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: I'm so sad. I don't own Naruto. But I said it, which means that you can't sue me for it! So there!  
  
A/N: Well...Here's chapter five. It's always a very ominous chapter for me, cuz a lot of the time that's the chapter that I lose interest around. But this fic is actually very interesting to me. Cuz I don't know what will happen next. I don't know what I'll do next semester when I won't have the luxury of writing in the middle of health class. What am I talking about? No health class! Whoo hoo! Anyway, R+R please!  
  
-- Sakura Kaijuu  
  
P.S. -- I apologize for the slight Sasuke OOC thing that I have going here. Sasuke's one of the more difficult characters to use. Especially for this type of thing. But I'm trying!  
  
-- SK  
  
*~*  
  
Sasuke looked around at the crowd. They were all his classmates, and Naruto and Sakura were his teammates. He was getting more and more nervous. The others could see that there was something he needed to say, and a few of them found it slightly amusing to see Sasuke so worked up over something.  
  
It wasn't until Kakashi poked him in the back that he remembered what it was he was going to say. He took a deep breath and didn't meet anyone's eye. "I'm sorry."  
  
They all looked shocked. Naruto was most surprised of them all, "What?!"  
  
Sasuke glared at him, "I said I'm sorry. I was a real jackass four years ago." He looked at the ground again. "I ran away from the village because I wanted to be stronger. I went to Orochimaru. I caused the deaths of Neji and Chouji. I am the sole reason why they are dead.  
  
Ino breathed in sharply. She hadn't been expecting this. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but she knew that she didn't want to think about Chouji being dead twice in two days. Not that she didn't always think about him. But she wasn't forced then. She glanced quickly at Shikamaru, who was looking at the ground.  
  
Sasuke closed his eyes painfully. "I'm sorry," he whispered.  
  
"Sa-Sasuke-kun..." Hinata stammered. She was still in shock at Sasuke's sudden outburst, but continued, "I'm sure that Chouji-kun and Neji-ni-san have already forgiven you."  
  
"Yeah!" Kiba smirked. "If you've been feeling this guilty for all these years and you STILL feel bad, then you must have worked it off somehow."  
  
Sakura didn't say anything. She just stared at him. She half understood how much this meant to have it off his chest at last. She saw all the frustration rush out of him in a single, heavy sigh. She smiled a little. "Congratulations, Sasuke-kun," she whispered.  
  
Kakashi clapped him on the back. "Good work, Sasuke," he whispered in his ear. "I've been wondering how long that would take you."  
  
Sasuke raised his eyebrows and looked sideways at his teacher. Then he shook his head. He looked at each face in the small crowd. Sakura looked happy. Naruto had his usual look of confused disbelief on his face. Shikamaru was smirking. Ino looked shocked, pleased, and upset all at the same time. Hinata had a small smile on her shy face. Kiba was grinning. He looked up to the sky, "I hope that you're right Hinata. I hope they really have forgiven me..."  
  
*~*  
  
After the brief meeting of gennin (and one chuunin) broke up, Shikamaru and Ino started walking away. Shikamaru looked at his teammate, "Oi. Ino, you okay?"  
  
Ino still looked a little dazed. "I didn't realize that Sasuke-kun still felt guilty about that...But I'm glad he apologized."  
  
"Yeah..." Shikamaru looked up. "I'm sure Chouji appreciates this. Neji too," he added. "Sorry guys. I really didn't mean for that mission to go like that..."  
  
Ino punched him in the arm lightly, "Don't you start apologizing too, Shikamaru. If you do that, I might just have to send you up to see Chouji and Neji-san."  
  
He glanced at her and smirked, "If I thought you meant that, I might be worried. But I know that you'd never do something like that. The only thing you'd ever do is try to make yourself super skinny for no reason." He smiled wider as Ino's look turned to rage. She started trying to attack him in a rage, but he easily fended her off. 'Good thing Ino's so easy to distract...'  
  
"Hey! --" Naruto's voice came from behind them. They turned, Ino pausing and Shikamaru relaxing. "Oh...Sorry."  
  
"About what?" Ino was getting kind of tired of all these apologies. There were too many of them today.  
  
"I thought I was interrupting something," Naruto scratched the back of his head. "I guess not. So what am I supposed to do, Ino?"  
  
"What?" Ino had completely forgotten about the day before. "Oh! Sorry Naruto, it completely slipped my mind. I think that if you want Sakura to like you, you should just tell her." When Naruto looked horrified at this suggestion, Ino sighed. "Well, what do you want?"  
  
"I want her to stop liking Sasuke first!" Naruto sounded panicky. Shikamaru looked between the two of them. This was why he thought women were so troublesome. They were so hard to deal with.  
  
Ino placed her hand over her mouth and thought for a moment. "Shikamaru, what do you think?"  
  
Shikamaru, taken by surprise, replied, "I don't know. It would be a pretty crappy birthday mood though, if she rejected him before next week though."  
  
"Oh!" Ino looked surprised. Had she forgotten everything from the day before?  
  
"Huh?" Naruto looked back and forth between them. "How'd you know my birthday was next week?"  
  
Shikamaru looked at him in disbelief, "You told us yesterday, you moron."  
  
"I did?" Naruto looked like he didn't believe him. Then he shrugged. "Oh well. Your memory is probably better than mine."  
  
Ino almost sighed in relief, but caught herself in time. A sigh of relief would send Naruto hunting again. "So...um...Let's see. Getting Sakura away from Sasuke..." She thought for a moment. "I don't know right now, Naruto. Yesterday she didn't really answer my question, and then Hinata came into the shop, and then Shikamaru and me went down to the memorial."  
  
"Oh..." Naruto sounded slightly disappointed. He was kind of hoping that Sakura had been really positive and said something like, "Oh yeah, Naruto's so cool and hot! I'm totally in love with him!" He sighed. Like that would EVER happen. "So what are we going to do?"  
  
"I guess I'll just have to talk to Sakura again. Where does she usually go after missions?" Ino looked at Naruto thoughtfully.  
  
Naruto blushed a little, "Usually she follows Sasuke around for a little and then heads home looking kind of sad. Sometimes she heads up to the roof of the hospital, or the bridge, and sometimes she goes to the training grounds."  
  
Shikamaru looked a little disturbed, "Why do you know that?"  
  
"Because he follows her around. That's why I asked him," Ino's brow furrowed in concentration.  
  
"How'd you know I follow Sakura-chan around?!" Naruto yelled. Then he covered his own mouth, blushing even worse.  
  
Ino smiled, still concentrating, "Because I know the kind of person you are. You and Sakura are a lot more alike than you think. I knew that you followed Sakura around, even if she didn't realize it."  
  
"Oh..." Naruto looked embarrassed.  
  
Shikamaru looked a little surprised. He hadn't known that Ino paid that much attention to people's behaviors. He wondered how much she knew about him. Then he shook his head, 'There's not much to know. I think women are troublesome and I'm a lazy bum who runs away. Why am I so worried about what Ino knows about me?'  
  
Ino clapped her hands. She pushed a piece of hair out of her eyes and smiled. Both boys looked at her. "Well. I have my own plans. I'm going to track down Sakura and talk to her about you," she pointed to Naruto, "while you two go away and do whatever you want to do."  
  
"Aye aye, captain," Naruto saluted her. She rolled her eyes and turned to leave.  
  
"Oh, and Shikamaru?" the boy looked up at her. "Don't wander off. And don't let Naruto follow me."  
  
He rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah..."  
  
Ino walked down the street, smiling at what she hoped to accomplish.  
  
*~*  
  
Naruto and Shikamaru were lying in the field Shikamaru had been yesterday. They were staring up at the sky, and Shikamaru was glad that Naruto was silent for once. But that, of course, was too good to be true. "Oi, Shikamaru."  
  
He sighed and shut his eyes, "What?"  
  
"Why are you and Ino always together?" Naruto sounded genuinely curious. He was using his jacket as a pillow.  
  
"What?!" Shikamaru hadn't been expecting that.  
  
"Just what I said. You and Ino are always together. Why?" Naruto sat up and tried to brush pieces of grass off the back of his t-shirt.  
  
Shikamaru sat up too, "We are not always together!"  
  
"So now you're getting angry about it. Like that'll help," Naruto smirked. "I think you like Ino."  
  
Shikamaru snorted and flopped back onto the ground, "No way. Women are far too troublesome. Our dads are friends. My dad Shikato, Ino's dad Inoshi, and Chouji's dad Chomaru were all on the same team too. It was another InoShikaCho formation. So we've known each other for a really long time. Chouji and me got to be friends when we were about six. Ino and me...we've always known each other..."  
  
"Hmm..." Naruto leaned back and stared at the sky again. He wondered what it would have been like to have friends his whole life. He remembered all too clearly crying every night. Sure he had known all these people his whole life, but it wasn't until he was twelve that he actually had people who cared about him. He let out a course laugh, "I remember once, not too long before the chuunin exam, when I thought Sasuke had died."  
  
"Hm?" Shikamaru looked over at Naruto.  
  
"Yeah...It was when I was in the Wave Country on a mission. Sasuke protected me...And it looked like he had died...But right before his eyes closed, he told me that he used to hate me. And that he didn't know why he had just saved me...But it was then that I realized I didn't hate Sasuke, either. He's just always been my rival..." Naruto looked lost in thought.  
  
"Huh...That's different. I've never really liked Sasuke. He's always annoyed me," Shikamaru looked back at the sky. "But I have another question for you. What do you think of Hinata?"  
  
"Um...She's pretty nice. And really determined. And pretty cool. She's kinda weird, but that's okay," Naruto scratched his nose.  
  
"Oh. Okay," Shikamaru wondered what was going to happen with Hinata. He was sure that Ino had some sort of plan, but if she was going to set up Sakura with Naruto, what would happen to Hinata? She'd be heart-broken. And he didn't want to have to deal with another problem that wasn't his. This one was big enough. Shikamaru finally sat up again. "Hey Naruto." Naruto looked over at him. "I think we should head back into town. Since Ino doesn't want you out of my sights, you wanna come to my house for dinner?"  
  
"Nah. I still have my birthday present from Iruka-sensei. All you can eat ramen for dinner every night!" Naruto smiled as he remembered that Jiraiya would be there too. Then his jaw dropped. "Shikamaru! What time is it?!" he asked, jumping to his feet.  
  
"I dunno. Probably about four o'clock by now," Shikamaru looked a little confused. "Why? What're you so worried about?"  
  
Naruto grabbed his jacket and looked around to see if there was anything else that he needed. "I promised Jiraiya-sensei that I would meet him this afternoon so he could help me with the Rasengan!"  
  
"Oh. Where?"  
  
"We didn't say. But I'll bet you 20 bucks that he's out at the hot springs. I gotta go."  
  
Shikamaru grabbed his pant leg. "If I don't go with you, Ino will have my head. And I really do want to live."  
  
Naruto grinned. "All right. But we have to hurry. Not that he'll care if he is at the hot springs, but I don't want to risk him being too mad at me."  
  
Shikamaru hopped to his feet and stretched, "I guess so. This is so troublesome...Oh well."  
  
Naruto started hurrying towards the bath house, Shikamaru reluctantly following him.  
  
*~*  
  
A/N: Muahahaha...I hope that I keep writing this fic. But I'm also hoping that you guys like this story. But you know what you should do when you're done reading this chapter? You should go read "Solace" and "Problems There Are Always Problems". Just because they're really cute stories. However, if you don't like NaruSaku pairing, you might want to steer clear of it. But it's still cute! So you should still read it!!!!  
  
Till next time  
  
-- Sakura Kajiuu 


	6. Chapter Six

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I hate saying it, but it's true. If I didn't say it someone could sue me. But I do say it, so that means I can't be sued!  
  
A/N: So...I'm guessing that you people really like this fanfic. If you didn't you wouldn't keep telling me to write more, I guess. :D So I'll write more and all will be happy! I can only hope that I don't forget anymore plot lines...(Yes people...Naruto's forgetfulness at the end of last chapter was really mine...But it worked with the story, so it's all good!)  
  
-- Sakura Kaijuu  
  
*~*  
  
After an hour or so of searching, Ino finally found Sakura. She was on the bridge, staring at the water. Ino quietly walked up and stood beside Sakura. "What's up?"  
  
Sakura looked up, surprised, "Ino? What are you doing here?"  
  
"Uh..." Ino's eyes widened as she tried to think of an excuse. Then it hit her. She didn't even have to lie. "Well, we never got to finish our conversation yesterday."  
  
Sakura snorted and looked back at the water, "About Naruto? Why are you so obsessed with getting me hooked up with him?"  
  
"What are you talking about?" Ino feigned shock and then laughed a little. "I honestly want to know what you think of him. It's nothing more than that. I promise."  
  
"Then tell me what you think of him," Sakura glanced at Ino with a challenge in her eyes.  
  
Ino met the challenge with no problems. "I think he's a loud mouthed idiot who needs a reality check. But I think he's pretty strong too. He still acts like a kid though. I'm not really sure if he has a chance at becoming Hokage."  
  
Sakura smiled, "I think he has a better chance than a lot of people. I mean, he at least wants to be Hokage. And he does act like a kid. And he's still a loud mouth."  
  
"Is that all?" Ino asked. She really needed this information so that she could get Shikamaru to compile a good plan.  
  
Sakura looked up at the sky and then back at Ino. "No. I guess he is strong. Maybe even stronger than Sasuke-kun. And he's really honest. And he has a REALLY strong moral code that's almost gotten all of us killed more than once."  
  
Ino smiled. This was the kind of thing she wanted. "Anything else?"  
  
"I guess I'm grateful that I know him. If I didn't, I wouldn't know how to deal with idiots like that," Sakura smiled too. Then she shrugged. "It's weird. Naruto's one of those people you have to develop a 'taste' for. And even though he used to really bug me, he's okay now."  
  
"I see..." Ino looked back into the water. "So why are you here?"  
  
Sakura sighed. "The usual. Sasuke-kun turned me down again."  
  
"Huh..." Ino looked slightly peeved. "Is this always the way it goes?"  
  
"Pretty much," Sakura sighed again. "But I'm so used to it now."  
  
"How do you feel about Sasuke-kun?" Ino asked, unable to stop herself.  
  
"I love him," Sakura replied automatically. Then she blinked. Had this really become so much of a habit? So much of her daily routine? Did she really feel that way? She shook her head. 'Of course you do, stupid. Why else would you put yourself through this every day?' She looked back at Ino, "What about you?"  
  
"I love him too," Ino turned around and leaned on the bar of the bridge. "Because he's cute and mysterious. He's so cool..."  
  
"Huh...But you don't really know Sasuke-kun, do you?" Sakura continued to stare at her friend. "You don't know what he's feeling. You don't know what he's thinking. You never get to see him when he's down. So, Ino-Pig, what do you have to say about that?"  
  
Ino had nothing to say to that. She was getting pretty angry by now though. She tried desperately to come up with a comeback, but couldn't think of one. She decided she'd let the Ino-Pig thing go. This time. They both smiled a little and looked back at the water.  
  
*~*  
  
At the entrance to the baths, Naruto stopped and sighed. Shikamaru stopped next to him and looked at him in a bored sort of way. He looked back and forth between the entrance and Naruto. "Why are we just standing here?"  
  
Naruto sighed again. "No reason. Let's go..."  
  
*~*  
  
They entered the hot springs section of the baths and saw Jiraiya stooping at the fence, glued to a hole in the wood. Naruto rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, "Oi. Ero-sennin."  
  
Jiraiya jerked away from the fence and looked surprised at the sight of his student. "What? Naruto, what are you doing here?"  
  
Naruto looked a little exasperated. "You said you'd help me with the Rasengan, remember?"  
  
"Uh...Oh!" Jiraiya grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, it totally slipped my mind. You're right though. Who's your friend?" he said, trying to change the subject quickly.  
  
"Nara Shikamaru," Shikamaru replied in a bored tone.  
  
"Oh, right..." Jiraiya looked back and forth between them and stood up. "Well, Naruto, let's go, shall we?"  
  
"If you don't mind, can Shikamaru come along too?" Naruto asked tentatively.  
  
"Why?" the white haired man looked suspicious.  
  
Shikamaru was tired of beating around the bush. "Naruto has a deal with our friend Ino, and part of that deal is that I have to stick around him, so that she can be sure that he won't screw things up."  
  
"Oh!" Jiraiya looked at the blond boy with renewed interest. He grinned evilly, "What's the deal about, huh?"  
  
"Er..." Naruto started to blush a little. "Umm...Well, ya see, uh...I asked Shikamaru here if he would...um..."  
  
"He asked me to help him get Sakura to like him. And I said hell no. But he convinced me to get Ino to help him. That's it," Shikamaru was getting fairly annoyed by now. All this was very troublesome, and the only reason why he was doing it was because he didn't want to get pounded by Ino. That would be embarrassing to him as a man.  
  
"All right," Jiraiya clapped his hands, grinning very widely. "We should go somewhere else."  
  
"Like where?" Naruto felt the red slowly receding from his face.  
  
"Any clearing will do. But you know as well as I do that the Rasengan isn't something to play with in the middle of a crowded hotspring."  
  
Shikamaru looked vaguely interested. He never had seen Naruto use this technique. He followed them with his hands in his pockets, wondering how this Rasengan worked.  
  
*~*  
  
Jiraiya was leading the boys out of the village, and as they passed through, they saw Sakura and Ino on the bridge talking. Naruto couldn't resist. "Hi Sakura-chan!!"  
  
Both girls looked around and Jiraiya and Shikamaru stopped. Ino glared at Shikamaru briefly. Shikamaru rolled his eyes. Sakura looked a little surprised. "Oh. Hi Naruto, Shikamaru. Good afternoon, Jiraiya-sama."  
  
Shikamaru and Jiraiya acknowledged Sakura's greeting, and Jiraiya studied Sakura carefully. She was tallish, with a small chest, but bright, bright green eyes. Her short pink hair shone in the sun, and he couldn't help but think of how she was like Tsunade. She was Tsunade's pupil, but he didn't know much about her besides that. But given what he knew about Naruto and Sasuke, Sakura was probably close to a replica of Tsunade's personality. Which was kind of scary.  
  
"Um...What brings you here?" Ino asked, sounding a little more irritated than she meant to.  
  
"Training," Shikamaru replied, staring at Ino until she looked away from him.  
  
Jiraiya looked at Ino now. "And who's this lovely young lady?" he asked.  
  
"Yamanaka Ino," she answered, bowing to the sennin. "It's an honor to meet you, Jiraiya-sama."  
  
"Ah..." Jiraiya looked thoughtful. "I know your father. He's a very talented jounin."  
  
"Thank you, sir. I'll be sure to pass that on to him. I'm sure he'll be pleased to hear that that compliment came from the legendary sennin Jiraiya," she was purposely trying to butter him up. They might be able to use him.  
  
The white-haired man watched Ino now. She had commanding blue eyes and short blond hair, up in a small bun on top of her head. She was slightly more busty than Sakura, but not by much. She was glaring at Shikamaru. "Well, we have to be getting along. I hope you girls have a good day!"  
  
Jiraiya started moving again, and Naruto and Shikamaru quickly followed him. Sakura and Ino looked after them, wondering what kind of training they would be doing.  
  
*~*  
  
After an hour or so of Naruto attempting to ascend to the next level of the Rasengan, the level that Yondaime had mastered, he was burnt out. It took a lot of chakra to keep that much control. Shikamaru had been interested at first, but was currently laying on his back and watching the clouds. Naruto flopped down next to him, "Jiraiya-sensei, I think that's enough for today."  
  
Jiraiya looked at him carefully, then nodded. "Sure. You've been working hard for the past hour. Just make sure that you keep working at it when you have the time." He smiled a little evilly. "So why don't you explain more thoroughly your relationships to those two lovely young ladies?"  
  
Naruto had given up on keeping anything from Jiraiya. He was bad at it. He always had been bad at it. He sighed a little. "Sakura's my teammate, and I like her a lot."  
  
"I know she's your teammate. Is that it?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess so," Naruto looked at him, unsure of what he was digging for.  
  
"What about Ino?" Jiraiya asked curiously.  
  
Shikamaru turned his head a little to hear Naruto's reply. "Well, I guess she's really nice, but I think she's only doing this because she hopes that Sakura will give up Sasuke and she can go out with him."  
  
Something inside him felt trodden on. Shikamaru frowned. What did he care what Ino did? But this was the same kind of feeling as when Naruto had calmed Ino down. It was almost jealous.  
  
"What about you, Shikamaru?" Jiraiya had sat down next to the boy. "What do you think of Sakura and Ino? Honestly."  
  
"Bah..." Shikamaru shut his eyes. "Women are all troublesome. It doesn't matter if they're my teammate or not. I wouldn't even be involved in this if it weren't for Ino."  
  
Jiraiya sensed something about Shikamaru's tone. "What's different about Ino?"  
  
"Nothing!" Shikamaru opened his eyes again and sat up. "There is NOTHING different about Ino. There never has been. She's the same, troublesome girl that she's always been."  
  
"Then why are you so defensive about it?" the old man did remember something from when he was that age. And he always knew when someone was hiding something.  
  
Shikamaru stopped. Usually he had an answer for everything. But this was one thing that he wasn't so sure about. Why did he always help Ino with her schemes? He could easily say no...But why did he always say yes? And why was this question from Jiraiya bothering him so much?  
  
Jiraiya watched Shikamaru carefully and saw that he was getting more and more uncomfortable. He decided to drop the subject. "Hey Naruto, it's getting late. You wanna head over to Ichiraku to meet Iruka?"  
  
"Yeah!" Naruto hopped up, all energy restored. Both Shikamaru and Jiraiya wondered how this boy could be so full of energy.  
  
Shikamaru stood up and stretched. "I should be getting home soon too...My mom will kill me if I'm late again."  
  
"Well, let's get going," Jiraiya started to walk back towards the main village. Shikamaru and Naruto followed, both thinking about food.  
  
*~*  
  
A/N: Ack! I'm really sorry that it took so long for this chapter to come out!! The new semester started, and now I have tons and tons and tons of work. And I don't have health class to write my fanfics during...I feel so horrible. But whatever. It's not really my fault. It's more my school's fault for going to block scheduling. Stupid block scheduling. I hate it...  
  
Anyway, that's about it...I don't think you really want to read my rantings about my school. That's what I have friends for! Heh heh.  
  
-- Sakura Kaijuu 


End file.
